Worksite enforcement targets employment law violators

Ensuring each of its employees is legally authorized to work in the United States is one of many responsibilities facing every American business, from small start-up operations to our country’s largest and most prosperous corporations.
Tasked with enforcing the business community’s compliance with federal employment eligibility requirements, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that targets employers who violate employment laws.
This strategy incorporates a three-prong approach to conduct worksite enforcement: compliance, through I-9 inspections, civil fines and referrals for debarment; enforcement, through the arrest of employers, knowingly employing undocumented workers, and the arrest of unauthorized workers for violation of laws associated with working without authorization; and outreach, through the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program, to instill a culture of compliance and accountability.
“HSI prioritizes violators who abuse and exploit their workers, aid in the smuggling or trafficking of their alien workforce into the United States, create false identity documents or facilitate document fraud, or create an entire business model using an unauthorized workforce,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Derek Benner. “Further priority is given to looking closely at those companies or industries that are deemed national security or critical infrastructure interests.”
From an operational standpoint, each worksite enforcement investigation is unique. Many factors are considered and, depending on the level of cooperation and culpability, the final outcome for the company and its employees will vary from case to case.
For example, a recently completed investigation of Asplundh Tree Experts Co., one of the largest privately-held companies in the United States, revealed a scheme to unlawfully employ aliens, in which the highest levels of Asplundh management remained willfully blind while lower level managers hired and rehired employees they knew to be ineligible to work in the United States.
The company pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a monetary forfeiture judgment in the amount of $80 million – the largest judgment ever handed down in a worksite enforcement investigation. They are also required to abide by an administrative compliance agreement, as set forth by HSI Philadelphia, the local jurisdiction for the company’s headquarters.
Pursuant to a separate civil settlement agreement, Asplundh will pay an additional $15 million to satisfy civil claims arising out of their failure to comply with immigration law, bringing the total cost of this illegal scheme to $95 million.
An effective worksite enforcement strategy must address both employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, as well as the workers themselves. In worksite cases, ICE investigators adhere to high investigative standards, including the following: ICE will look for evidence of the mistreatment of workers, along with evidence of trafficking, smuggling, harboring, visa fraud, identification document fraud, money laundering and other such criminal conduct.
Worksite enforcement investigations often involve violations of other criminal statutes by employers and may also reveal widespread employee abuse. For example, many of the agency’s worksite investigations uncover instances of alien smuggling, alien harboring, document fraud, money laundering, or worker exploitation. HSI also investigates employers who use force, threats or coercion – such as threatening to have employees deported – to keep unauthorized alien workers from reporting substandard wages or unsafe working conditions.
By uncovering such violations, HSI is sending a strong deterrent message to all industries that companies who knowingly hire unauthorized workers will be investigated resulting in possible civil or criminal penalties.
Employers who are seeking assistance with ensuring their companies are compliant can seek Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certification through the IMAGE program.

Participants have pledged to maintain a secure and stable workforce, including outreach and education designed to prevent unlawful hiring practices.
After first completing a self-assessment questionnaire, employers must enroll in the DHS E-Verify program, establish a written hiring and employment eligibility verification policy and submit to a company-wide form I-9 inspection.
As of Sept. 1, 2017, there are 114 charter members; four endorsees, which are associations who promote IMAGE requirements to their members; 287 certified members (certified after 2011); and 183 companies who have signed agreements and are in the process of becoming certified members.

“Further priority is given to looking closely at those companies or industries that are deemed national security or critical infrastructure interests.”

Is that right? An acquaintance of mine went to a company regarding a job position they had posted. This company repairs the trailers on tractor-trailer trucks that are owned and operated by a national railway, CN Railway (Canadian National Railway) at Chicago south suburban Harvey, Illinois at 15840 West Ave, zip code 60426. Look it up. And this company, ITS ConGlobal, which repairs CN's truck trailers is located INSIDE the CN railway in Harvey, IL.

If I'm not mistaken....aren't railways part of our NATIONAL INFRUSTRUCTURE?!!!!!! Oh wait, I didn't get to the good part. When he went there with his resume, the first person he encountered, he asked where he could find the supervisor. He told him..."no speak English". The same with the second guy he asked. The third guy he asked knew just enough English to point him to the supervisor. He said that all these guys were speaking Spanish. Obviously illegal. Why the hell is CN Railroad allowing this INSIDE OUR NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE?!!!! That's what I would like to know.

Also, there is a place in Gary, Indiana, right across the border from Chicago/Illinois, that builds BRIDGES for our NATIONAL INFRUSTRUCTURE. It is very well known in this area, Chicago/Northwest Indiana, that this place employs nothing but illegals on their first shift. And I mean A LOT of them, at least 50. I know fellow welders who worked there during our economic downturn, dubbed "the great recession" for $12 an hour to weld. They told me that the illegals had first say in everything. The illegals all wanted first shift, so the white and black guys, the American citizens, had to settle for 2nd shift. And they had to settle for ridiculous wages because of the competition with illegals for these jobs.

If national infrastructure and national security is our first priority, then why the hell are these businesses getting away with employing illegals for so many years? And these are only 2 that I know about, who knows how many more there are out there.

Oh, wait. I forgot to name the bridge company so I can shame them. This bridge company is called ISC (Industrial Steel Construction) Bridge. They are located at 86 North Bridge Street in Gary, IN 46404. I don't know why, but shaming these companies on the internet for everyone to see makes me feel a little better.

I tried this numerous times in the past. ICE doesn't answer their damn phone, here in Chicago, so I gave up. I feel like I have my hands tied behind my back with trying to report illegals. That's why I counted on Trump, but he let me down as well.

I wanted a job with benefits for me (a first generation AMERICAN) so I applied at the County of Los Angeles....took the test and scored 95%....could not be hired cause I am not bi-lingual Spanish......I left Calif after that.....USE E_Verify!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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